GREAT finale. I've watched "Smallville" only intermittently because the "freak of the week" angle got old pretty quick, but I still had enough invested in the characters to be properly shocked.
The editing of the montage was a little confusing, but it would be difficult to imagine Chloe is alive - not unless she ran out out of the house for no good reason. You'd have to think Lex's henchmen would do a proper job of wiring the place unobtrusively.
It's also bizarre that the G-men didn't "sweep" the place before they entered.
Not really sure where that crop circle thing came from - did Jor-El do it to signify his dominance over the family? Did Lionel do it to give a warning to the Kents? I'd opt for the former due to its odd shape.
Lionel shaving his head was just part of his transformation into a prison inmate. The long hair is a bit too self-indulgent considering his situation.
I'm not sure I really dig how antagonistic Jor-El is, but Terrence Stamp is welcome anytime. IMO, his General Zod was one of the greatest screen villains ever, and elevated "Superman II" above the original.
It also seems out of character for Clark to see Kara kill someone (what the hell kind of power was that?), and then follow along with her. I didn't buy that.
It would be fun to see Clark in Metropolis for a couple of years before becoming Superman, and then have him "graduate" with a feature film. Casting a new flick differently just seems dumb considering all the emotional investment the audience has built up with this take on the mythology. And Welling has already proven to be far more comfortable in the role than someone like...Brendan Fraser? I mean, are you kidding?
Welling is already 26...shoot a flick in five years and IMO, he'll be at the perfect stage professionally and physically to really nail it.
More like 27 or 28, actually. And let's not forget that Christopher Reeve was a mere 24 when he began shooting "Superman" and "Superman II" back in March 1977, and he pulled off playing 30 really convincingly. By the time Reeve was 30, he was already into his third outing in the series. So it's not impossible for Welling to play Superman at his current age.
But if Welling isn't available at that time, I wouldn't mind seeing Brendan Fraser in the part.
As for last night's season finale... WOW! How are they ever going to get out of that one? They'll find a weird way to do it.
-This cold/heartless Jor-El may not be how he really is. It may be a computerized version of his knowledge and not much of his feelings. If you remember he came to Earth in the 50's and was a lot nicer.
-A cool thing was when Jor-El summoned Clark at the end. I kept waiting for Terrance Stamp to say "Kneel before Jor-El".
Assuming that the explosion was at the behest of Lionel rather than for his benefit. Lex specifically told Chloe that she would need to be in protective custody after the trial as well, and this could be the way to do that; faking her death. She will need a new name and identity *cough*Lois*cough* but could go back to being Chloe after Lionel is executed.
Or if she really did die Clark just needs to lap the world a few times to get her back.
He hasn't had his trial yet, they're holding him so he doesn't run off -- like last week, using a fancy enclosed space with no toilet. I wonder if they'll do anything with him supposedly killing witnesses at his own trial. (Even if it's a ruse, to fake it properly, they have to go after him.)
So next season, just Clark, Martha, and Lionel? Obviously not. I just hope that in the middle of next season, we don't have Clark pining over Lana and fighting some lame freak-of-the-week. At least half of them have to stay gone/dead.
Is disintegration a Kryptonian power Superman doesn't have? And on a very shallow note, I wonder why they didn't choose an actress that wasn't even better looking.
My guess is that Clark will learn some reverse time trick (like that cool "fly around the Earth really fast" trick from the movie) or Jor-El will do it as part of another covenant. It's all part of his education, and all the deaths will be reversed.
Chris, you may be on to something there. That sounds like a real possibility.
Also, I think that Chloe *WILL* become Lois Lane at some point. The biggest evidence for me was when she commented several episodes ago that her cousin Lois had zero interest in journalism. At that point, she also wrote a story using the Lois Lane pseudonym. Whether it will happen at the start of season four or whether it happens at the end of the series, I think Chloe is destined (by the creators) to become Lois.
Regarding the Chloe=Lois Lane, is there any evidence from the comics or the movies that Chloe is Lois, or are the writers just adding this in? I have no idea about the comics and have only seen the movies a couple of times and just wanted to know. Wouldn't Clarke know who she is/was once they start working together?
From MediaSharx: So unless something changes, Chloe and Lois are definitely two different characters. More interesting is that Gough envisions that Clark's interaction with Lois would be very different that Chloe - and that doe-eyed puppy love isn't the only kind they recognize.
Not sure I like Clark meeting everyone from his future in Smallville, but it sounds like it'd be a fun episode.
Loved the season finale! The season 4 opener couldn't come soon enough!!!
I'm surprised though that anyone has yet to mention something that's pretty damn big news when it comes to this show.
Clark now knows that he will develop the power of flight!
Flight is no longer the power that he has yet to discover - it's something that he can expect to experience, so you've gotta wonder what spin this is going to have!
(Interesting how the writer's didn't violate the "No flights, no tights" policy of the show... they were flying, but Kara was doing the flying for both of them. ).
On the topic of Chloe... um... dead. The montage at the end was slow-mo, and you could pretty much see that she was in the house when it went up in flames. Furthermore, neither her or her father seemed to be aware that anything would be happening once they entered the house, so that would nix the whole "staged death" theory. For the record, I could feel it coming - the look on the FBI agents face, the movements of the characters, and the slow focus of the camera on the door house itself made it feel like something was about to blow up.
For one it would certainly save on shoe expenses. Think of all the ware and tear when Clark is zipping to Metropolis. He could channel those savings to help offset Kent family destroyed vehicle replacement costs.